30 Tasting Notes

Tried it with two bags in an effort to give it a second chance and finish the box, and it just doesn’t work for me. Again, it makes a spicy tea with little other flavor besides weak tomato. There is one more bag left, and I will likely save it for a tea and cheese tasting event, paired with basil havarti.

The bag smells sweeter than it actually tastes. Because of the hibiscus there’s good color (I’ve been noticing lately how many bagged teas use this strategy), and a discernible hibiscus scent. I’d say overall, however, that it doesn’t especially taste like pomegranate, yet the taste of green isn’t so strong as to be bitter either. I didn’t need to use sweetener, but I could see myself drinking this with honey again, ill or not, and it would probably taste good iced. This tisane came in 2nd of the three pomegranate/green combinations I tried while fighting a cold.

I realized exactly what this tasted like during my recent cold: chewable vitamin C. No, honey (an antimicrobial) does not help it go down easier. With this epiphany, I would adjust the rating for flavor to about a 35, but it actually does have some health merit so I’ve left the current rating of 44 intact.

During my recent cold, this was one of several pomegranate/green hybrids I tried. While I still found the aroma of roses very discernible, as well as the scent of pomegranate, I didn’t find that those notes carried into the flavor. It seemed to brew completely differently than when I first had it. Now that could be the fault of stuffy-head stupor, but this time I found it to taste more green than anything else. It was actually the least impressive of the pomegranate/green combinations I had, as well as the least impressive of the Zhena’s sampler it came with (including, in addition, Lemon Jasmine, Ambrosia White Plum, and Sense of Peace).

When I was TA-ing and commuting six hours a day, this used to be part of my morning ritual of getting up at 4am to be on campus by 730 and in the classroom by 930. Somehow, I enjoyed drinking 2 large cups of this with vanilla soymilk AND sugar before noon. While I don’t have much to say about it vis-a-vis flavor—it’s pretty regular—I would like to comment on the shakes currently settling into my hands from the strength of the brew. I guess the body gets sensitive as it ages, because I’m not even sure I can finish this cup.

Not in my cupboard as this is the last bag, I haven’t bothered to review this consistently performing tea because I was sure someone else had. What I would call moderately caffeinated, it has just the right amount of kick to get you going or keep you moving. Like all my black teas, I take it with a bit of milk and sugar, and it’s really a lovely morning treat. Mild and well-rounded, I really can’t wait to get another box (at the right price though, heh-heh).

Preparation

Smells wonderful in the cup awaiting water, sweet and spicy. Pairs well with sugar and (soy)milk, but seems kind of weak on the flavor notes. For example, it’s a little spicy, but I can’t say that I identified ginger, as such. I was hoping that it would brew strong enough to be a close replacement for a richer, coconut milk drink. I would like to try it again iced, and look forward to pairing that version with a meal of some bitter greens, or something like that, so I can give the sweetness a chance to really pop.

Preparation

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Bio

Maria McMath is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Anthropology at Princeton University. She enjoys reading, cooking, spending time with family, and arts of the language, culinary, visual, aural, healing, and martial varieties, and she drinks copious amounts of tea.